MLB Pipeline revealed their Top 30 New York Mets Prospects rankings on Monday. It’s no secret that New York’s main goal is to build a self-sustaining organization, meaning a robust farm system consistently feeding the big league team in some fashion. The Mets aggressively acted on that goal during last year’s trade deadline and stuck with it this winter.
Our #Mets Top 30 list is out with a lot of new names from last year's Trade Deadline.
Top 100 talents Drew Gilbert and Luisangel Acuña are closing in on MLB readiness, while Marco Vargas and Jeremy Rodriguez add intriguing long-term upside. https://t.co/ST8ifLsVN2
— Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) March 4, 2024
The top spots of this latest Mets prospects ranking heavily features players the team acquired at the deadline. With a combination of upper-level prospects and long-term wild cards, this reflects just how significant these trades were on the system. While having a deep farm system doesn’t guarantee World Series championships, it provides a team with flexibility and longevity.
The list also features sleepers with rising stock and former Top 100 prospects with recent struggles. It’s a great reminder that while a great farm system has immense value, prospect often become suspects. However, reality won’t, and possibly shouldn’t, stop fans from overanalyzing and reacting irrationally towards lists like this.
Interesting Takeaways From Latest Mets Prospects Rankings
The Mets gutted their roster last summer after an all-out aggression to win failed miserably. But the organization deserves credit for quickly pivoting and preventing the disaster to turn into an embarrassment. Three of the top four prospects were acquired in the deals for Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Notably, all four rank in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list.
The Impact of Last Year’s Trades
Drew Gilbert (ranked second) and Luisangel Acuña (third) represent the headliners from the trades. Both will start the year in Triple-A and should make their debuts at some point in 2024. The youngsters bring speed, athleticism, and energy that the Mets have not consistently had for a while.
Nice piece of hitting by Mets prospect Drew Gilbert.
I think there’s a good chance he makes his major league debut this year.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) February 27, 2024
Gilbert, a former Astros first rounder, often draws comparisons to Lenny Dysktra for his attitude and grit on the diamond. With Brandon Nimmo already shifting to left field and Harrison Bader on a one-year deal, Gilbert likely represents the favorite for Mets 2025 Opening Day center fielder.
Acuña is the closest of the six shortstops on the list to the majors. With shortstop occupied in Queens, evaluators project Acuña to adapt well to second base and even center and left field.
Acquired alongside Gilbert, Ryan Clifford ranks fourth and might have a higher ceiling. Time will tell, but he is just 20 years old and has already translated some of his great raw strength into in-game power. Clifford lacks the athleticism of Gilbert or Acuña, but will likely carve out his career thanks to his above average lefty pop.
Overall, four of the top ten and five of the top 12 arrived via last summer’s deals. That’s impressive considering the Mets didn’t even fully commit to selling until around a week before deadline day.
MLB has Marco Vargas with the best hit tool (60) in the Mets system. Pretty good find for Billy Eppler and company out of the Florida Complex League last year for a few months of David Robertson. https://t.co/RW5OVLmDE0
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) March 4, 2024
The last two of the five are teenage shortstops (No. 8 Marco Vargas and No. 13 Jeremy Rodriguez) acquired in the David Robertson and Tommy Pham trades, respectively. Vargas gets praised for his great bat-to-ball and on-base skills. While Rodriguez might be more a wild card, scouts say both are names to watch. Good 2024 seasons might catapult each into Top 100 lists.
Takeaways
The Mets have not been big deadline sellers in years, but are seeing how beneficial it can be. A few trades in a span of a week significantly impacted the team not only for the next couple years, but also for the end of this decade and the begging of the next.
The team likely made the right decision to flip their veterans rather than depleting a weak system and trying for a Wild Card spot. While teams would rather win than lose and collect prospects, New York might be in a similar position this summer.
If the Mets enter the second half of July as a mediocre team, they have several skilled veterans on one-year deals that should be flipped. They don’t have veterans with big names like Scherzer or Verlander, but they should still fetch intriguing young talent to further supplement the system.
David Stearns must ask himself whether he would rather be one of several 84-win teams competing for the final Wild Card spot or a 79-win team that sells and improves the 2025 and beyond teams.
Mets Athletic Young Shortstop Draft Picks Are Promising
Fans are just as exited for Jett Williams, ranked first overall on MLB Pipeline’s Mets prospects rankings, as they are for Gilbert and Acuña. One of two first round picks in the 2022 draft, Williams is a smaller player but features electric speed and elite on-base ability.
The Jett Williams speed 💨
He gets his first RBI of spring pic.twitter.com/I1Fnjm11XP
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 28, 2024
Modern front offices love Williams’ great plate discipline and ability to get on base. Though his small size limits his raw power, Williams has a knack of getting the most out of his size. Great pitch selection will not only lead to more walks, but will allow him to swing at pitches he can drive.
Just 20 years old, Williams will begin this season in Double-A. Initial projections saw him making his MLB debut around 2025, but a September call-up is not impossible this year. Plus, Williams told reporters that making the majors this season serves as a main goal for him.
Ranked seventh on the list is 2023 first-round pick Colin Houck. Many viewed the big shortstop as a Top-15 talent in the draft, but he fell due to a high asking price. The Mets scooped him up with the 32nd pick and paid an above-slot signing bonus. If he develops as many expect, this could represent the steal of the drat.
The 19-year-old is more physically advanced for someone his age and might eventually shift to third base. Offensively, he flashes plus power with good bat speed but will need to improve his swing decisions.
Takeaways
Drafting well will forever be crucial to an organization, no matter where they are in a contending cycle. A good couple of drafts can elevate a team’s system as quickly as selling two future Hall of Famers can. In his short Mets tenure, Billy Eppler seemingly drafted pretty well. Despite having Francisco Lindor locked up and other shortstops in the system, Eppler didn’t shy away from drafting the best athletes.
These are the players that will likely adapt well to position changes down the road. They also tend to carry great trade value as they advance though systems. If the Mets contend soon, perhaps Houck is a candidate to get flipped for an established star that helps New York win a championship.
Lastly, Houck shows that Steve Cohen’s wallet impacts the organization beyond free agency. Teams clearly acted worried about Houck’s asking price. But, Cohen allowed his front office to focus on adding the best talent available, no matter the price. The team expects/hopes to draft late in the first round for years to come. Drafting strategically aggressive like this can limit the potential disadvantages that might bring.
Prospects With Rising and Falling Stock
Biggest Riser
At No. 5, Christian Scott has become the top Mets pitching prospect and has risen quickly over the past year. Scott pitched great last season across multiple levels thanks to a great ability to limit walks and generate punch outs. One year ago, evaluators might have said that Scott’s future is in the back of a rotation or in the bullpen. However, many view him in much brighter light right now.
Shaky command from Christian Scott in his first spring outing but he still had 45% whiffs
Liked how often he used his sweeper. Excited to see more pic.twitter.com/h6JpLEOULl
— James Schiano (@James_Schiano) March 2, 2024
Among the pitchers on the Mets prospects rankings, most project as mid-to-late rotation options. Scott ha quickly developed into possibly the best of the bunch. He will start the year in Triple-A but will have to adapt to the electronic strike zone. Many pitchers displayed poor walk rates at Triple-A last season despite showing good control in other levels. As long as he stays healthy, he should join the big league Mets at some point this year.
Fallers
No. 9 Kevin Parada and No. 16 Alex Ramirez both ranked in Top 100 prospect lists in recent years. Last year, MLB Pipeline had Parada ranked No. 36 and Ramirez No. 96. However, both struggled mightily in 2023 and have fallen a decent amount.
The Mets drafted Parada three spots ahead of Williams expecting his bat to carry him quickly through the system. While he has shown decent power and good exit velocities, he whiffs and strikes out way too often. Parada has carried a reputation for being a bat-first catcher with at-best average defense. HIs bat will take him to the majors, but he must improve against fastballs and breaking balls if he is going to fulfill his potential.
Ramirez’s career has stalled in High-A Brooklyn. He possesses decent power and great speed with an arm best suited for right field. According to MLB Pipeline, he will still flash his tools but needs to add more strength and show more consistency. Scouts have expressed concern over his work ethic, so it seems his career will depend mostly on how bad he wants to be great.
Another spring base knock for Alex Ramírez pic.twitter.com/bkVqfxSbab
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 28, 2024
On a bright note, Ramirez has impressed in a few games this spring. Still just 21, 2024 will be a huge year for Ramirez.
Takeaways
Fans shouldn’t get too caught up in prospect rankings or scouting reports. There are so many variables impacting a prospect’s development that it’s tough to predict how they develop over a multiple year span. For example, the Mets reportedly refused to included Ramirez in trades at the 2022 deadline. In hindsight, maybe they should have.
Prospects become suspects quickly and often. If a fan is dreaming on all these prospects panning out, they likely will be very disappointed. On the other hand, there likely will be players in the system low on this ranking that will have the biggest impact. Players like Jacob deGrom and Jeff McNeil never fared too well on these lists, yet have had great careers.
Even if the Mets possess a great system, Cohen likely will show a willingness to acquire stars when needed. Like the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mets ideally will have a system that produces stars at times, but mainly produces players that can at least raise the floor at league minimum salaries. Plus, a talented system should supplement the team via trades.
It’s taken multiple years, multiple front office regimes, and multiple attempts at contending. However, the latest Mets prospects rankings shows that Cohen and the Mets finally are on the right path to building a consistent winner.
Main Photo Credits: Jeff Miller / Special to the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin / USA TODAY NETWORK
